Involving a carer as a partner in care benefits health staff and improves outcomes for their patients. At some point in their lives, most carers will receive health services for themselves and for the person for whom they care. The resources below help NSW Health staff to provide support to carers throughout their work. Please also familiarise yourself with the resources available for carers, including any resources provided by your Local Health District’s Carer Support Services.
The Partnering with Carers training module is open to all NSW Health staff to learn about more about carers know and do, and how to:
NSW Health Patient Administration Systems (PAS) and Electronic Medical Record screens (eMR) now record and display if a patient has caring responsibilities or receives ongoing support from a family member or friend. Patients and their carers have a better experience when they are acknowledged and able to talk to and work with health professionals.
These videos have been developed to support staff to implement changes and record when a patient has a carer or is a carer:
Transcript: Why consider carers?
Transcript: Recording information on carers in the patient administration system
The Think Patient, Think Carer poster [PDF] can be used in health services to encourage health staff to ask patients whether they are a carer or if they have a carer. It also provides guidance on how carers can be involved in patients’ care and what supports are available to carers.
Working carers, also called staff carers, are employees who work while also providing unpaid support to people who need it due to disability, chronic illness, mental illness, frail age, dementia or drug or alcohol dependency. Working carers can be employed on a full time, part time or contract basis.
NSW Health articulates its support for working carers in the NSW Health Recognition and Support for Carers: Key Directions 2018-2020 [PDF], which states that ‘NSW Health will support employees who have caring responsibilities’.
Carers NSW provides information on the rights of working carers. The Carers Gateway provides additional information and support for those who are working while caring.
